Interesting Bob, in that case, I had a 4 string mando type and it was certainly built strongly enough to take steel strings.

I've now got an 8 sting one and I think the tone device in it is quite interesting. It is a British build instrument which just says "Bell Tone patent applied for" on it. It uses a piece of brass shaped like a saucepan (without the handle) which occupies most of the space inside the wooden casing.

Jon